Cardounel named Henrico Police Chief

Cardounel joined the Henrico Police Division as a patrol officer and a SWAT Team medic in 1988. He currently serves as deputy chief for the Investigative Bureau and a member of the chief’s executive staff.

He has risen through the agency’s ranks from officer and investigator to sergeant, command sergeant, lieutenant, captain and major, a position assigned in 2015. He also has served as deputy chief for the Patrol Bureau, led the Criminal Investigations Section, developed and implemented the Homeland Security Section, and provided leadership and service to the Training Academy, Internal Affairs Unit, Media Relations Unit, Organized Crime Section and Personnel Unit.

A graduate of Douglas S. Freeman High School, Cardounel holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Richmond and a master’s degree in public administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

As police chief, Cardounel will oversee an agency responsible for providing law enforcement for Henrico’s more than 325,000 residents and a community covering 244 square miles. The Police Division has 624 sworn police officers and a budget of $69.2 million for fiscal 2015-16. Cardounel will be sworn in during a ceremony April 15. He will become the 16th individual to serve as Henrico police chief since 1915.